Berkshires Vacation - Day 6

What a fun day! We got up early to drive the hour + to Charlmont, MA, where Crabapple Whitewater Rafting is located. We had the best time. Our guide Lily made it very comfortable for all of us. Shara "rode the bull" by sitting up at the front of the raft with her feet hung over the bow. She also took a bucket to soak the rafters in the other boats during the water fights. Her favorite part was the "Minefield - Out of the Lemon Squeezer and right into the Minefield - zig and zag through the exposed rocks that are everywhere in this rapid. Cut the rocks close and make the next move before it is too late." She also loved doing the wheelie - all of us sat at the back of the raft, tipped back and the guide, who was standing behind us, used a rope to get us all the way back and the raft almost vertical. I had trust issues and couldn't put myself all the way back but apparently it was good enough. My favorite part was when I fell in during the first rapid because I didn't have my feet tucked. It was great because I concurred one of my phobias - being thrown in the water! Shara says, "Umm... It was so fun!" Needless to say, we were soaked, tired, and exhilarated! Next time Shara will be old enough to go on the trip with the class 3 & 4 rapids! This was class 1-3. Still so much fun.

The kids take over the ship!

Through the rapids 

Mid-Summer Fun and Folly

Last week was arts fest, the closing day of the first 3 week session of Arts for Youth. Another wonderful time - Shara was thrilled to have the lead role as Freckleface Strawberry in the play of the same name. We don't have so much artwork to put away this year because everything was performing - acting, singing, etc. Here are highlights.



The first performance is from Shara's class
And I don't know what other ones she's in, but here are all the videos so far:
https://www.youtube.com/user/duckgreene/videos

After ArtsFest, Shara and I got packed up and went to Aunt Jill & Uncle Andy's for a weekend celebration of Bubbe's birthday. We had a great time  - Friday night we settled in and Shara had no trouble going to sleep in Samantha's bed. I hung out with Jill and chatted and finally went to sleep around midnight'ish. The next morning we picked up Bubbe to go to Syracuse where Pastabilities is located. Bubbe saw it on Diners Drive-ins and Dives and wanted to go for her birthday, so we did. We had so much fun and also made a stop at Wegmans to finish our tour. Once back home, Jill, Shara & I went for a walk to the Country Drive-In for ice cream. It was quite a walk - always worse when I can't tell how far we have to go, but it was fun. Then for the way back home, Uncle Andy dropped us off at the street just after the busy one we didn't want to talk on. Then another late night! Brunch was scheduled for the next morning at Cracker Barrel. Papa wanted to take us all out for breakfast and another lovely time with family. It really makes a difference spending the extra night. Normally we just breeze in and out but this was much more relaxing.

Monday was the start of the 2nd AFY session. It's going very well and again, Shara's most interested in the performing arts. The past few nights we've been staying cool by going in the pool and tonight Alan joined us for family night. Shara wanted to jump in and so she did! She started gradually by sliding off the side, then jumping holding my hands, then my fingers, then 1 finger, then just in. Then she was having a ball jumping in and going underwater. It was a lot of fun swimming around with her and playing underwater games. She and Alan also made salt & vinegar potato chips before dinner. They're done in the microwave. Shara had seen the recipe online a while ago and finally made them tonight. They had fun and the chips were really good!

Baseball

Last night a friend who used to be a little league coach couldn't help but give Shara pointers on batting, catching and throwing. We had a good half hour before being chased away by the hordes of mosquitoes on that rainy evening. It was great because she listened to him and he knew how to give her direction in a way she would understand and respect. He told her how to hold her arms in terms of geometry. She commented that it was more of an isosceles triangle than a right triangle, but we're not going to quibble, right? I was really happy because I miss playing sports. Until recently I stopped thinking about how much sports was a part of my growing up and want Shara to have good experiences and learn to appreciate the benefits too. Even if she never wants to play on a team, she should have the skills and be able to make the choice for the right reasons, not just because she thinks, "I don't like sports". That's something I tend to say but when I get away from that rote response, I have to admit that I actually like sports a lot. Playing and watching, if not by myself. Maybe this will be an activity we could enjoy together. Branch out from mini golf and bowling.